“I’ve been here 10 years, and this is our first (female competitor) since
I’ve been here,” said Linda Bishop, GMCA director of education. “We’re
getting more women becoming interested in the trades now because we’ve
been showing them the possibility for women in the trades.”

Bay City resident Becky Manson, 34, is a student in the electrical track and qualified for the competition after completing a pretest. She is an apprentice at Valley Electric in Midland and decided to pursue electrical work after having a difficult time finding a job in construction management.

“I don’t think I have anything to prove; I just think if I can go in there and do what I have to do,” Manson said. “It’s the same as anyone else. I knew when I got into this line of work that there’s probably not going to be many other females in the workforce, but I’m just one of the guys.”

Competitors begin the contest by completing an hourlong written exam and then move to a practical portion that tests their ability to solve a problem likely to occur in their field.

“We have judges that watch as they’re performing their hands-on project,” Bishop said. “They judge on safety, clean-up, workmanship, stuff like that. (Students) are given points for everything. When it’s done, we combine the totals from their hands-on project and their written test to determine a winner.”

To prepare for the event, Manson is asking her instructors and co-workers questions. She’s never taken part in a competition like this.

“Obviously when you’re doing the hands-on projects somebody’s looking over your shoulder,” Manson said. “That just makes you a little jittery, but it will be nice just to get there and see what I can do against other people in my trade and craft.”

If Manson makes it to the national competition in Birmingham, Ala., she will have the chance to win a cash prize and tools.